Orpingtons

 

The original Orpington, the Black, was developed in England in 1886 and brought to the US in 1890. It was developed from Langshan-Rock-Minorca crosses. Today Buff, Black, White, and Blue Orpingtons are recognized.

Developed as a dual purpose breed, Orpingtons make fair table fowl and are excellent winter layers of large brown eggs. They have very laid back personalities and make good pets. I've heard that the Buffs are especially good in this regard.

"Alfred," a Buff Orpington cock
Photo courtesy of Judy Witney

 



Breed clubs:
United Orpington Club
Sarah Batz
e-mail: unitedorpington@gmail.com
American Orpington Poultry Fanciers


The Buff Orpington Club
P. E. Smedley
Leckby House, Flaxton, York,
North Yorkshire YO6 7QZ
England
phone: 01904-468387
e-mail: phil.boy@virgin.net

Nederland Sussex, Orpington en Dorking Club
-- in Dutch only

The Orpington Club
Woodside
1 Cock Robin Lane, Ketterall
Preston, Lancs PR3 1YL
England
phone: 01995 601 772

The Orpington Club of Australia
Dallas Smith
35 Apple Tree Rd.
Holmsville
NSW 2286, Australia
e-mail: deejayess@hunterlink.net.au

 


Orpington Links:

An Orpington page from The Netherlands -- also in English

Historia del Orpington in Spanish (from Uruguay)

OrpingtonsUK.com

Orpingtons at Greenfire Farms

Orpington Farm (in Hungarian)

Blue Orps at Brookside Cottage Farms

Bob's Biddies has Buff Orpingtons

Oskars Orpingtons (in Swedish)

Blue Orpingtons at Horstman's Poultry

You can get Chocolate and Lavender Orpingtons from Chicken Scratch Poultry.

Heaven Sent Ranch has Orpingtons

Orpingtons for sale at Fisher's Feathered Friends

Buff Orp LF and Black Orp bantams are available at Durham Hens.

English Lavender Orpingtons at Coosa Valley Hatchery

Working Orpington Breeders: Breeding for Quality, Not Quantity - on Facebook


Orpington Books:

The Orpington Fowl by Will Burdett & Joseph Batty, 1998, 168 pp., Beech Publishing, 7 Station Yard, Elsted Marsh, Midhurst GU29 0JT, England, ISBN: 1857363434. This large folio covers the entire history of the breed, both in the UK and abroad. Will Burdett is considered "Mr. Orpington" in the UK and is also the keeper of the Queen Mother's Orpingtons. This large and excellent volume is a must for all orpington fanciers. It also covers all the varieties and has chapters on breeding, feeding and rearing.


A Buff Orpington female

A pair of Black Orpingtons from Australia, owned by Max Wilkinson
Photos courtesy of John Fox

A Buff Orpington rooster
Photo courtesy of Matt Collum

A Mottled Orpington
Photo courtesy of Sivert S. Almvik

A flock of Buff Orpington cockerels in the UK
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson

And a flock of Buff Orpinton pullets in the UK
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson

Black and Blue Orpingtons
Photo courtesy of Bill Wahl

"Andi," my Splash Orpington bantam hen

A Black cock and Blue hen
Photo courtesy of Owen Goodfellow

A White Orpington rooster
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson

A Blue Mottled Orpington bantam cock
Photo courtesy of Richard Stott

A Chocolate Orp hen and a Cuckoo rooster
Photos courtesy of Paul Bradshaw and Greenfire Farms

A Buff Orpington cockerel
Photo courtesy of Pam Marshall

Two nice Orpington roosters -- A Silver-laced and a Crele
Photos courtesy of Paul Bradshaw and Greenfire Farms

Platinum Orpington pullet
Photo courtesy of Bill Wahl

A Buff Orpington hen from the UK
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson

A hen from Reed's Silver Partridge Orpington project
Photo courtesy of Reed Baize

Cuckoo and Columbian cockerels
Photos courtesy of Bill Wahl

Gold Laced Orpingtons from Sweden
Photos courtesy of Oskar Hässelmo

"Frank," a 7-month-old Brown Red Orpington cockerel
Photo courtesy of Bill Wahl

A Chocolate Orpington rooster and his feet
Photos courtesy of Toni-Marie Astin

A Blue Orpington flock with the hens wearing protective saddles
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson

Buff and Splash Orpington roosters
Photos courtesy of Debi Stuhr

Young cockerels: A Blue Jubilee Orpington bantam and a Lemon Cuckoo large fowl
Left photo courtesy of David Eason, Cotcombe Rare Breeds; right photo courtesy of Ed Maynard

White Orpington bantams from Sweden
Photo courtesy of Oskar Hässelmo

Five-month-old Blue Orpington bantam pullets
Photo courtesy of Judy Witney

Harlequin Orpington bantam hens
Photos courtesy of Richard Stott

White Orpington hen and pullet
Photos courtesy of Christina Korfus

A Splash Orpington pullet and a Blue cockerel
Photos courtesy of Bill Wahl

The Jubilee Orpington -- male plumage, a male and female plumage
Photos courtesy of Paul Bradshaw and Greenfire Farms

Cuckoo Rosecomb Orpingtons, cockerel and pullets
Photos courtesy of Bill Wahl

Orpingtons from Italy: Black and Blue hens and a Buff rooster
Photos courtesy of Francesco Murru

A Gold Laced Orpington pullet
Photo courtesy of Frances A. Bassom

Jubilee Orps from Sweden
Photos courtesy of Oskar Hässelmo

Lemon Cuckoo Orpington cockerels
Left photo courtesy of Andrew Taylor; right photo courtesy of Greenfire Farms

A Lemon Cuckoo Orpington pullet
The males have two barring genes and the females have one. So, the females just look like a lighter version of a buff; no barring. The cuckoo pattern is sex-linked to males.
Photo courtesy of Greenfire Farms

A Chocolate orpington hen
Photo courtesy of Robert Stephenson

Cuckoo and Black Orpington bantam hens from Sweden
Photos courtesy of Oskar Hässelmo

A Black Orpington hen
Photo courtesy of Bill Wahl

A Birchen Orpington bantam cockerel from Germany
Photo courtesy of Sascha Michel

Lavender Orpingtons, developed in the UK by Priscilla Middleton
Photos courtesy of Frances A. Bassom

And here are the Lavender girls -- pullets on the left and a hen on the right
Photos courtesy of Frances A. Bassom

Chocolate Orpington trio
Photo courtesy of Greenfire Farms

A young pair of Blue Orpingtons
Photo courtesy of J. Gettle

A very nice Lavender Orp cockerel
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson

A Buff Orpington cockerel ready for a nap
Champion English at Columbus '98, owned by Bill Ryan
Photo courtesy of Beth Adams

Partridge Orpington hens from Sweden
Photos courtesy of Oskar Hässelmo

"Cotton," a White Orpington cockerel
Photo courtesy of Bill Wahl

A pair of Black Orpington bantams
Photos courtesy of Robert Stephenson

A Jubilee Orpington hen
Photo courtesy of Greenfire Farms

This Buff Orpington cockerel was Best in Show at a UK event in 2003
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson

Gold Laced Orpingtons
Photos courtesy of Greenfire Farms

Here's another nice Buff Orpington hen
Photo courtesy of Pam Marshall

A very nice Buff Orpington cockerel from the UK
Photo courtesy of Robert Stephenson

Orpington bantams -- Chocolate and Mottled hens, Lavender split cockerel
Photos courtesy of Fin Mcpherson & www.mangrovepoultry.com

A Silver-laced Orpington trio, developed in the UK by Priscilla Middleton
Photo courtesy of Frances A. Bassom

A Blue Orpington rooster
Photo courtesy of Robbie Wilson

Partridge Orpingtons
Photos courtesy of Greenfire Farms

Splash Orpington pullets
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson

Blue Orpington bantam pullets
Photos courtesy of NannyP

A pair of Buff Orpingtons from Malta
Photos courtesy of Christian Cutajar

A Chocolate Mottled Orpington bantam cockerel and his flock of Chocolate hens
Photos courtesy of Richard Stott

A young flock of Black Orpingtons
Photo courtesy of Bill Wahl

Young Harlequin Orpingtons: cockerel on the left
Photos courtesy of Jeffery James Zabodyn

Buff Columbian Orpington bantams
Photos courtesy of Fin Mcpherson & www.mangrovepoultry.com

Red Orpingtons, cockerel on left
Photos courtesy of Greenfire Farms

A young Blue Orp pullet
Photo courtesy of Taryn Koerker

Lavender Orpington males and a hen from the US
Photos courtesy of www.hinkjcpoultry.com/

Mottled Orpingtons
Photos courtesy of Priscilla Middleton and Frances A. Bassom

Amos's White Orpington rooster "Snowball" with a friend
Photo courtesy of Amos C.

Orpingtons from Uruguay: the head of a Black hen and a four-month-old Blue pullet
Photos courtesy of Edgar Rodriguez

Young Lavender Orpingtons
Photo courtesy of www.hinkjcpoultry.com/

"Henny Penny," a Buff Orpington hen and family
Photo courtesy of Jane Cave

A Buff cockerel crowing about his offspring!
Photo courtesy of Grant Brereton

Six-week-old Buff Orpingtons
Photo courtesy of Nathan Turner


Buff Orpington chicks
Photo courtesy of Taryn Koerker

A Buff Orpington chick
Photo courtesy of Peggy Moore

A Blue Orpington bantam chick
Photo courtesy of NannyP

Here's Page's Buff Orpington chick
Photo courtesy of Page Johnson

A Lavender Orpington chick
Photo courtesy of www.hinkjcpoultry.com/

A Black Orpington chick
Its toes were curled, so they're being "splinted" to straighten them
Photo courtesy of John Fox and Max Wilkinson

Blue Orpington chicks
Photo courtesy of Taryn Koerker

Another Buff Orpington chick
Photo courtesy of Susan O'Connor

White and Splash Orpington chicks on left, White Orp chick on right
Photos courtesy of Christina Korfus

Buff Orpington bantam chick
Photo courtesy of Senia

A Gold Laced Orp chick
Photo courtesy of Paul Bradshaw and Greenfire Farms

A Jubilee Orpington chick from the UK
Photo courtesy of Irene

More Lavender Orpington chicks
Photos courtesy of www.hinkjcpoultry.com/

Mottled Orpington chicks
Photos courtesy of Priscilla Middleton and Frances A. Bassom

Another Jubilee Orpington chick and some Lavender Orpington chicks
Photos courtesy of Åsa Henriksson

Lavender Orpington chicks
Photo courtesy of Greenfire Farms

A Red Orpington chick
Photo courtesy of Greenfire Farms

A Chocolate Orpington chick
Photo courtesy of Reed Baize

A Harlequin Orpington chick
Photo courtesy of Jeffery James Zabodyn

Another Black Orpington chick
Photo courtesy of Bill Wahl

Buff Orpington chicks on pasture at one and two weeks of age
Photos courtesy of Michelle Sterling


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